Hometeam Basketball: Experienced Eagles soaring in harmony

Life on the hardwood continues to be good for the surging Worcester Tech boys, who improved to 10-0 overall Tuesday night with a 63-35 win over Nashoba Tech. The Eagles are 9-0 in the Colonial Athletic League.

“I think the reason we’ve been so successful is because we have seven seniors on our team,” coach Sean Lynch said. “It’s a very unselfish team. If you look at the box scores, we’ve had games where kids have gone off, like Mike Fernandez going for 27 against Main South. But that’s not the norm. Our offense is very spread out with several kids getting 10, 12 or 15 points.”

Lynch added that in addition to a spread-the-wealth offense, Tech benefits from good chemistry. Translation: The kids like each other, a key component of a winning team. The chemistry can be traced to the offseason, when the team committed itself to simply getting better. This included involvement with CrossFit Worcester, a program that helped with conditioning, and playing summer league basketball at Crompton Park against players from such schools as St. John’s and Wachusett.

“Once we’re on the court, we just have to do the best we can to get the win,” Fernandez said. “Show the other teams that we have good chemistry and play hard. We also have to share the ball, which we do. I don’t have to score — I like seeing my teammates score. It’s good to see teammates get a lot of points or assists.”

Lynch said that defense is a key, beginning with the nightly challenge to hold an opponent to 40 or fewer points. It’s a tough task, Lynch added. During a recent 47-44 win over Sutton, Tech allowed more than 40 points, but held the Sammies to seven shots in the third quarter.

“We communicate well on defense and that has been important,” Barry said. “We’re good in transition and running down floor. Our guards rebound well and so do our big men, who also can shoot. The goal is to keep it up in the second half.”

“I think our success has come from chemistry and our focus to win,” Rovezzi said. “We rely on our coaches to lead and our seniors to take charge. But the focus is always to win. Against Sutton, we knew they’d have a run because they were comfortable on their court. We knew we’d have to work hard to win, and we did. Playing and beating teams like Sutton gives us confidence and respect.”

Limiting turnovers, improving defensively and being more disciplined should make the Eagles a tough matchup down the stretch, Rovezzi added.

“I’ve been lucky and blessed, and have had more than my share of good players,” Grant said. “I’ve had good athletes, good kids. They keep me going.”

Grant is a Nipmuc graduate and a former athlete and athletic director. He kicked off his varsity coaching career at his alma mater, taking over as boys’ basketball coach in 1975.

Grant was always a big baseball guy and he coached that sport at Nipmuc from 1975-1995. Grant excelled in baseball and basketball at Nipmuc and was coached by Allan Byrne in both sports. After high school, Grant attended Assumption College and played baseball for Joe O’Brien, the Hounds’ legendary basketball coach.

Grant has been married to his wife, Diane, a former Nipmuc cheerleader, for almost 42 years. They have three children, Shelley, Kevin and Michael. Each child was a standout athlete in high school and all three went on to be successful athletes in college. Not surprisingly, basketball was a big deal for the Grant kids, each excelling at point guard. Meanwhile, Dad had to take solace in the fact that he was the only small forward in the family.

The Clark Tournament has always been special to Grant. He was a small forward on a Nipmuc team that won the Clark in 1964. Grant also coached his sons on Nipmuc teams that won the Clark in 1993 and 1997.

“Making the Clark Tournament has always been a goal,” Grant said. “My first Clark game was in 1975 against Shepherd Hill, coached by Jim Ferdella. I watched his team play man-to-man defense, and I also watched Hopedale, coached by Don Klocek, and they had good movement on offense. In a way, I’ve tried to model myself after them.”

Nipmuc, which won a district championship under Grant in 1997, is unlikely to make the Clark Tournament this year, but the Warriors have played hard through a strong schedule.

“Every year, you have a different team with different kids,” Grant said. It’s like a puzzle with pieces — you have to put them together.”

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